Here's my chance to spell
it out for everybody exactly what you people do.

You and Superjoint are full-blooded, expertly
trained, swamp-haired Hessian Metal Commandos. No bells and
whistles, no glitter, eyeliner, dry ice, flashpots, laser
shows or platform boots. Just the reckless firepower of Army
Rangers on maneuvers in Mogadishu, recast as a street-clothes
mosh pit free-for-all.

I like the jarring, stunning, sudden stops
followed by lead screamer Philip Anselmo's stream of semi-consciousness
stage patter. "This is the abrupt style... I don't need
no fucking stupid fucking costume to hide behind. Here's to
the realists!" It's a Louisiana accent or something,
but he sounds like he's from Brooklyn when he introduces you,
"Hank Fucking Williams The Thoid."

So
Anselmo's got 2 other bands, Down and Pantera, which is funny,
because I remember when Pantera was a club band in Dallas
in the '80s at like, the worst clubs - now they're the General
Motors of metal. Plus he's got Superjoint, based for over
ten years in the 13th Dimension called New Orleans, a band
escalated to a new level when it signed up the country-metal
nomad Hank III as its touring bass player. You guys got a
killer, ballistic drummer named Joe Fazzio, two guitar-shredding
werewolves named Jimmy Bower and Kevin Bond, and Anselmo,
a front man of weapons-grade intensity, detonating on vocals.

So, III: in case you ever wonder what it looks
like from the audience, your band's performance style is marked
by rigorous head-banging, free perspiration, liberal expectorating,
and open mockery of L.A.'s marijuana ordinances. In fact,
the effect is full-on Underground 1987, like a $4 show at
Deep Ellum's Theater Gallery.

Meanwhile,
you personally are about a million light years away from all
these put-on artists trying to be Mister Popularity at MTV
High. You're just an honest, driven, hard-working, eerily
exact physical carbon copy of the greatest country artist
of all time who likes to throw down with Phil Anselmo and
the Melvins when you're not out raising hell with your own
solo band.

For this a grateful rock nation salutes you.
And reminds everyone that Superjoint's new album Use Once
And Destroy is in shops and boutiques now. Ask for it by name
wherever 1987-vintage thrash metal is sold.

Regards,
Nate Diamond

PS: Here's all your best quotes from the
interview.

Hank III in the First Person

The Basics
"We are glad to have Superjoint Ritual back on the road,
man. It's been four years since Superjoint has done any kind
of touring. We're just trying to get some old school metal
back out there with no gimmicks... just old school knock your
teeth in."

Fraternal Order
"We all been at it for a while. We all got one thing
in common, and that's just hard rock, man. We all love it."

Seduction Of The Innocent
"I first got into heavy rock when I was a drummer. When
I got my first Kiss albums. When I was 8 or 9 years old for
Christmas I got a bunch of Kiss records. From then on, I liked
the beat. I liked the energy. And then I started getting more
pissed off when I was a little kid with no father around and
all that shit, and then Black Flag, and then death metal,
and it all just went bad. That and Misfits and then once I
heard Metallica and Slayer, it was over, you know. I've always
been attracted to the dark side for some reason. I don't know
why."

RIP Cliff Burton
"I been a bass player and singer before in old hard core
bands, but I'm just trying to bring [original Metallica bass
legend] Cliff Burton back from the dead. I'm just banging
my head as hard as I fucking can. I love the songs. We're
just here to rock as hard as we can, man."

White Line Fever
"I try to tour as much as I can. I might take a month
off here and there. But that's the only way I make my money,
dude, is the road."

State Of Readiness
"Whoeeever wants to fucking play with me, man."

The Melvins
"They've been heroes of mine, man. I totally respect
them, how long they been out on the road. And they been clean
for the last 8, 10 years, getting shit done. Touring around
in a van and always being true to what they always been true
to. They're icons of that era, man. It's a dream come true
to open up for them when we had the chance to."

Does Anyone In Country
Music Today Get You?
"The old timers do, (George) Jones, Willie (Nelson),
Waylon (Jennings). But all the people in the business, I tell
them to fuck themselves all the time because I never had much
money, and I don't need much money to get by, man. Since I
don't play the game I'll say, 'All this new country you put
out sucks, all your radio country sucks, CMT sucks, Nashville
sucks and the real country music is Dale Watson, Wayne Hancock,
Junior Brown and a lot of other guys that don't get any kinda
respect at all.'"

Next
Up For III
"My rock album will come out one day and I'll
have plenty of country albums, that's just taking some time."